Flow battery technology might be gaining on its potential of delivering long-duration energy storage at lower costs than lithium-ion batteries. Flow batteries hold the promise of 10-hour durations, 10,000 cycles, minimal degradation and no limitations on depth of discharge.

These energy-storage systems pump electrolyte through stacks of electrochemical cells. It’s one of the few battery formats that might be capable of affordably storing energy for multiple hours at a time. And it’s that potential for economical, long-duration energy storage that has lured VC investment and R&D — but so far, the investment has yielded very few commercial, competitive flow battery products.

Today, however, two flow battery startups are reporting new funding and new strategic directions as this high-potential technology looks to win a larger share of the growing energy storage pie.

There are 76 flow battery projects big enough for the DOE to take note of, about half of which are operational, for a current grand total of about 20 megawatts, according to the agency’s energy storage database. Another 50 or 60 megawatts are listed as under construction or announced. Many of these are demonstration projects.

Vionx aims to create an ecosystem

Boston-based Vionx Energy (formerly Premium Power) was founded in 2002 and recently raised about $58 million from VantagePoint and Starwood Energy. Bobby Kennedy Jr. is on the board.

Vionx just announced an “ecosystem” of firms to launch and commercialize its flow batteries. Six companies — UTC, Starwood Energy Group, Siemens, 3M, Vantage Point Capital Partners and Jabil — are looking to “license, finance, manufacture and deploy the energy storage system.” The Vionx vanadium flow storage system was developed by researchers at UTC. Siemens will serve as the EPC for future projects.

David Vieau, Vionx’s CEO and former CEO of lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems, told GTM that when it comes to utility and power customers, “Everything they do is about 20 to 30 years, not five years.”

Ravi Manghani, GTM’s senior storage analyst, notes, “Lithium-ion battery technology hits a limit at four hours. If there is any value in long-duration storage, flow batteries can deliver energy for up to six or 10 hours. Emerging battery technologies such as zinc-aqueous could also compete with flow batteries on a long-duration, cost-per-kilowatt basis. Where flow batteries underperform is in efficiency, with an energy-in to energy-out ratio in the mid 70-percent range, compared to the mid-to-high 90-percent ranges for the best lithium-ion cells.”

“The magic is in the electrolyte,” said Manghani.

GTM Squared, GTM’s new premium service, is taking a deeper look at flow batteries in a just-published first installment of a three-part series.

GTM Research expects the U.S. to deploy 220.3 megawatts of energy storage in 2015 — predominantly utility-scale and predominantly based on lithium-ion batteries.

VanadiumCorp Resource Inc. and Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc. are pleased to announce the filing of the national entry phases in South Africa, India and the United States of the international patent application.

VanadiumCorp and its Board of Directors are pleased to announce the following corporate updates: Management’s recommendations approved by shareholders at the AGM / The Company welcomes Mr. Sokhie Puar to the board of VanadiumCorp / Stock Option Update

VanadiumCorp and Electrochem have signed a Patent Option Agreement for Ultra to purchase an exclusive license. Ultra plans to utilize the Australian license of "VEPT" to expedite construction of the world’s first dedicated vanadium processing facility.

VanadiumCorp and Electrochem are pleased to announce that The World Intellectual Property Organization has officially published the Patent Cooperation Treaty of the International Patent Application WO 2018/152628 (A1) on August 30th, 2018.

VanadiumCorp is pleased to announce that Francois Cardarelli, President of Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc. will be presenting at the Canadian Institute of Mining conference held in Chibougamau on May 2, 2018.

Following the release of an energy storagetechnoeconomic study, ‘The South AfricaEnergy Storage Technology and Market Assessment’, advocating that South Africa requires market preparation to take advantage…

Combining solar panels with batteries to keep electricity flowing when the sun isn't shining has long been the target for companies dabbling in the emerging technologies of the power grid.

This year is seeing more development in that space than ever before, thanks to falling battery and solar prices, the marketing prowess of super-entrepreneur Elon Musk, and national and international clean-energy and climate-change policies.

The clean-energy boom is about to be transformed. In a surprise move, U.S. lawmakers agreed to extend tax credits for solar and wind for another five years. This will give an unprecedented boost to the industry and change the course of deployment in the U.S.

The extension will add an extra 20 gigawatts of solar power—more than every panel ever installed in the U.S. prior to 2015, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The U.S. was already one of the world's biggest clean-energy investors. This deal is like adding another America of solar power into the mix.

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VanadiumCorp is a mining and technology company with a vision to become the primary producer of vanadium and specialty metals. The Company growth strategy is focused on development of industry leading resources and process technology located in Canada.